EdUHK Becomes World Bank Consultant to Promote Vietnam’s Teacher Development

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - Dec 7, 2017 - In a developing nation, an effective education system is a crucial element of sustainable economic growth. The World Bank knows exactly the sort of expertise needed to bolster educational development to this end, and recently appointed The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) to help the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) provide continuous development opportunities for the country's teachers.

Appointed to the role after a rigorous selection process during which it stood out among top universities and consultancies from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, EdUHK provides a project team, which comprises renowned education experts at the University and is led by Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Vice President (Academic), to work as part of MOET's Enhancing Teacher Education Programme for 10 months.

EdUHK President, Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, said the appointment of EdUHK consultancy is testimony to the University's education leadership in the region. "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute our expertise to a nation-wide project in Southeast Asia. Building on our track record in the region, I have every confidence that we can have a positive impact on the transformation and enhancement of Vietnam's teacher education through this knowledge-transfer project."

The Enhancing Teacher Education Programme covers eight Lead Teacher Training Universities (LTTUs) spanning the entire nation, including the Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Hue University of Education, National Academy of Education Management, Thai Nguyen University of Education, University of Da Nang -- University of Education and Vinh University. Through a series of face-to-face training workshops designed to enhance the effectiveness of their teacher and principal education, the LTTUs are expected to eventually serve as stewards of a new continuous professional development system in Vietnam.

EdUHK's role in this process will be to help the World Bank task team and MOET elaborate and finalise the Performance Agreements in collaboration with the Vietnamese government and the universities, and to create a mechanism for tracking implementation of the Agreements. The EdUHK team has also been tasked with helping to build the universities' capacities to devise institutional development strategies.

This vital project is the latest in a long line of regional consultancies undertaken by EdUHK and its immediate predecessor, The Hong Kong Institute of Education. Previous commissions from the World Bank, Asia Development Bank, European Union, APEC, UNESCO and UNEVOC have allowed the University to contribute to enhancing education systems throughout Asia.